Graystripe's Mission
by Sephri
Summary: Alternate Universe- Old Forest: What if Firestar had never come to the Forest? The starry cats of StarClan have feared it and it has come true. How will Tigerclaw fare in his uninterrupted climb through ThunderClan's ranks? Will he ever be stopped? It all lies in the paws of a shaggy gray apprentice.
1. Chapter 1

The night was cool, pleasantly so with a light breeze brushing the trees. The dancing limbs cast shadows on the figures below in the quarry. The rocky scar in the earth glowed in the half-light of the moon. Two warriors walked close at hand through the camp, mewing quietly in the dark. The first, a handsome ginger tom, yawned and his companion, a stocky, long-haired gray cat chuckled, "Maybe we should call it a night."

The orange cat smiled and nodded. "You're right, Graystripe. Good night, my friend."

"Good night, Firestar," purred the shaggy tom.

A strange look passed over Firestar's face and he called back his friend. The dark tom looked back quizzically. "Graystripe, I just wanted to say…" he started. "I'm glad I met you in the woods that day."

Graystripe twitched his ears, confused. "Firestar, are you okay?" he asked smiling.

The flame-colored cat seemed lost for a moment, not looking at his friend or even the camp around him. Then he shook his head and purred, "Listen to me, chattering on like an elder!"

Graystripe purred in amusement and mewed, "Don't worry, I'll be the first to tell you when it's time to retire."

Firestar smiled and ducked his head sheepishly. "Thanks, Graystripe. Good night," he purred. The tom twitched his tail and padded towards a fallen pile of rocks at the head of the camp.

The gray tom watched him until his friend's orange tail tip had vanished into the den above. He blinked warmly and murmured into the dark, "Good night, my old friend." Turning away, the cat stalked through the night and vanished into a dark bramble thicket.

* * *

His dreams were dark that night and misty with shadows. A cool bright voice reached his ears through the fog. Warmth spread through Graystripe's limbs and the tom purred. The voice called out to him, "Graypaw. Wake up, Graypaw."

Graystripe growled and his claws flexed. He longed to sleep longer, bathed in the newleaf warmth that he felt. Yet, the voice grew more insistent and Graystripe's eyes opened into narrow slits. Then shock forced the lids to fly open. Thick-trunked oak trees surrounded a large indent in the ground. A large gray rock glowed silver in the light of a full moon. A fox-length from Graystripe's front paws stood a young tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat. She radiated a soft glow that felt like the warmth of a green-leaf hunting patrol. She blinked calmly at the gray tom and her tail curled happily. "Hello, Graypaw."

Graystripe lifted his head and scanned the clearing. "Where am I? Who are you? Where's Firestar?" the nervous tom stopped abruptly as his eyes widened once more. "Wait," he trailed off. "Is this _Fourtrees_?"

The pretty tortoiseshell took a step toward Graystripe and the tom sprang to his feet in defense. "It's okay Graypaw. Please, do not be afraid. You will see much that you may not understand."

Graystripe's fur bristled over his neck and he bared his teeth. "Who are you?"

The she-cat sat down and wrapped her tail daintily around her paws. "My name is Sweetpaw and you are indeed in Fourtrees. I was a ThunderClan apprentice like you a long time ago."

Graystripe's eyes narrowed. "You _were_?" He took a step back and swept his gaze around the clearing once more. "Does that mean… I'm in _StarClan_? Am I dead?" he hissed fearfully. Now he could see dark shadows pacing through the trees with bright glowing eyes. Four cats on the edge of the clearing watched the exchange through narrowed eyes.

As Graystripe stared at the four watching him, he heard Sweetpaw behind him. "Yes, this is StarClan. But you are not dead, Graypaw."

Finally breaking his gaze, the young gray cat shook his head and fixed Sweetpaw in a glare. "What? I don't understand," he growled. Graystripe took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Okay, let's try a different question; Why Fourtrees?"

The pretty cat's head tilted curiously to one side and her brow crinkled confused. "I don't know what you mean Graypaw…"

A tide of frustration in Graystripe's chest broke through the dam he had hastily built to hold it back. He snarled at the young cat in front of him, fixing her with a menacing yellow stare. "Why did you bring me to Fourtrees? Why not the Moonpool or the Island?" Could she not understand how much pain he felt at seeing these old trees? How the thought of these trees, smashed and burned and ruined weighed on his heart like a rock? His chest heaved and his breath quickened as he advanced on the she-cat. "And why do you keep calling me Graypaw? I am Graystripe, warrior of ThunderClan! Firestar and I received our warrior names together. I was his deputy…" The tom trailed off, caught up unexpectedly in a mirage of images; he could see himself as a kit, hunting for the first time and as a father teaching his own children how to chase; he saw himself flying across a field of battle with a yowl on his lips and his claws outstretched for blood. "I am Graystripe," he murmured softly. He turned away from the she-cat and prowled towards the old ThunderClan territory.

A soft voice spoke from behind him and Graystripe's fur rose in terror at her words: "Graypaw… There is no Firestar."


	2. Chapter 2

It was an eerie still that settled over the clearing of Fourtrees. The apprentice's flanks heaved as if he'd run from the Moonstone to the clearing, yet he hadn't moved. The fur of his tail stood straight up and he felt his claws dig into the dirt. He knew she was telling the truth, somehow. Her words spoke of a great sadness and fear that was too genuine for Graypaw to accuse of being otherwise. Yet, why should he believe her? He had no idea who she was or why StarClan would even speak to him. He wasn't a leader or a medicine cat. According to this she-cat, he wasn't even a warrior! Graypaw felt the confusion and frustration building and bubbling under his skin until he couldn't contain it. He spun on the tortoiseshell.

"What is this?" he hissed. "You're lying! You're some kind of spy trying to twist my loyalties! Leave me alone!" The gray cat turned and muttered under his breath, "This must be a dream. Yes, I'm sleeping. Wake up, Graystripe! Come on, get up!" He spun around, catching his tail in his teeth and bit down hard. Graypaw groaned in pain but it didn't seem to change anything. His groan morphed into a growl and he snarled angrily.

The she-cat apprentice watched all this with an anxious and concerned expression. After his failed attempt to "wake up", she mewed quietly, "Graypaw, please calm down."

The fluffy tom turned on her, fangs bared. "Shut up! I don't want to listen to you anymore!" His claws slid out and his tail lashed.

"Sit down, apprentice!" Graypaw froze, as a dark shadow came between him and the moon. A large golden-colored tom stood on the Great Rock, scowling down at him. Graypaw's eyes widened, terrified by this newcomer. He was vaguely familiar and Graypaw realized he was one of the cats who had been watching him earlier.

Sweetpaw looked nervous as well, though she seemed embarrassed more than scared. "Sunstar, I'm so sorry. I tried—," she began.

Sunstar broke in, trying to calm the young cat. "Peace, Sweetpaw. You have done well. He is more stubborn than we thought," he reassured. With that, Sunstar leapt down from the Great Rock and came to stand in front of Graypaw. "Greetings, Graypaw."

Graypaw crouched low to the ground. This cat commanded respect, but Graypaw couldn't help trying to understand more. "Who're you?"

The yellow-eyed tom scanned him, sizing him up before answering, "My name is Sunstar. I was leader of ThunderClan before Bluestar and before that I was her mentor."

The pieces clicked into place in Graypaw's mind and his jaw dropped open in awe. "_The_ Sunstar?" Graypaw looked around the clearing once more, finally appreciating where he was and what an honor it was to see this place. "Maybe this is StarClan after all…" he mused quietly.

Sunstar purred and nodded. "Aye, Graypaw, you are among the stars." He looked over Graypaw's shoulder and flicked his tail. From behind, Graypaw heard Sweetpaw come around to sit at Sunstar's shoulder.

The young cats' eyes met and they had a silent exchange, Graypaw apologizing for his rash behavior and Sweetpaw accepting his apology with quiet wisdom beyond her years. Sweetpaw looked to Sunstar and Graypaw met the large tom's eyes. "Sir, if I'm not dead," he began, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position, "why am I here?"

Sunstar took a deep breath and looked down at his paws. "StarClan has a mission for you Graypaw. A great threat has arisen in the forest that endangers all the clans, even the warrior code."

Graypaw's brow furrowed in confusion, "And you need my help? But I'm just an apprentice!"

Sweetpaw stepped forward and set her tail tip gently on Graypaw's shoulder. "You are stronger than you think, Graypaw. The great leaders of StarClan have been looking for one to lead this mission for many moons. You are the one they trust to hold the fate of the forest in your paws."

Graypaw ducked his head, a mixture of emotions churning together in his chest. He felt honor and pride at being the one they chose, yet terror and confusion at the choice. He was a kit, he couldn't save the entire forest! Yet, if the cats of StarClan trusted him, he knew he would try his hardest. He sat up straight and looked into Sunstar's face. "What must I do?"

Sunstar nodded and suppressed a purr of pride. This was a ThunderClan warrior. "StarClan has given you a rare gift, Graypaw. We have let you see the future as it was meant to be."

Graypaw's ears pricked in interest. "You mean with Firestar?"

Sweetpaw nodded and Sunstar continued, "Aye. But the facts have changed and Firepaw will never join the clans."

Graypaw's eyes widened and he balked. "What? How? Why?" He stared at the ground trying to make sense of the information. "Then, who are the three? What happened with the Twolegs? Does the forest get destroyed? What about—," Graypaw's fur rose as the horrific implications of this fact truly revealed themselves. "Don't tell me… Tell me no."

Sunstar's face was crumpled with sadness and he couldn't meet the young tom's gaze. Sweetpaw mewed softly, "Yes, Graypaw, it is true. Tigerclaw will rise to power in ThunderClan. He will go on conquering territories under his paws until finally uniting them into his 'TigerClan'." She bowed her head as if confessing this scenario was so horrific that it physically exhausted her.

Graypaw took a few shaky breaths, calming himself and bringing his thoughts into line. He looked incredulously at the two starry warriors. "What do you expect me to do? I'm just an apprentice."

Sunstar sat up and cleared his throat. "This is a dream, but you have not received it when you thought. You are still an apprentice and it's the morning after your vigil."

Graypaw shook his head. "Really? So, everything I did as Graystripe… it was all a dream?" He couldn't help feeling disappointed and saddened. He had been deputy, loved two she-cats, had five children… yet he hadn't? It was a jarring realization. He felt misty suddenly but Graypaw blinked it away quickly. "Will I remember my other life? The glimpse that you gave me, will I remember it?"

Sweetpaw shook her head. "Not at first." She looked to Sunstar.

Sunstar stood up and faced Graypaw. "At first, you will forget this look and the mission we have given you."

"Your memory of this will return in time, probably suddenly," Sweetpaw explained. She touched her nose to Graypaw's cheek. "It will be hard, but I know you are strong enough."

Graypaw looked at her. A strong feeling of encouragement came from her and Graypaw felt his heart lifting. Graypaw met her gaze and asked them, "Will I hear from you again?"

Sunstar narrowed his eyes to study the apprentice. "Perhaps. Go now, Graypaw," he mewed. Sunstar stepped forward and laid his chin on Graypaw's head. "Go now with the blessing of StarClan."

Graypaw felt a burst of light energy surge through his body and he squeezed his eyes shut. The energy pulsed and Graypaw felt the grass fade from under his paws.

With a strangled gasp, Graypaw jolted awake. His chest heaved and his eyes rolled around wildly. Bits of moss clung to the fur behind his ears. Graypaw blinked rapidly, surprised to feel a mistiness behind his eyes.

A soft voice came from the corner of the den. "Graypaw? Everything okay?" Ravenpaw's mew issued from a darker patch of shadow with a single dash of white at its heart.

Graypaw's breathing slowed as he calmed down. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Graypaw licked his chest self-consciously. "Just—just a bad dream."


End file.
